The present invention relates generally to the field of management of electronic catalogs and more specifically to a method for immediate escalation of, and response to, a rule change request from a customer in a rules based management system.
Electronic catalogs are similar to traditional paper catalogs in that they can be used to display products and services of a company. Electronic catalogs, however, are much more flexible than paper catalogs in that they are more easily updated and can also be used in a manner similar to databases. Electronic catalogs can store legal and technical information, which an authorized customer can access and use to produce contracts and proposals. Electronic catalogs may also offer multiple capabilities to customers, for instance, a catalog can offer different types of reporting formats, invoicing procedures and distribution methods.
In a rules based management system for electronic catalogs, a set of rules are defined and the rules are applied to a data set to create a catalog. When one of the rules is changed, the contents or capabilities of the catalog are changed. Sub-catalogs can easily be derived from a parent catalog by copying the rules of the parent catalog, adding one or more rules specific to the sub-catalog, and applying the rules against the data set associated, with the parent catalog to create the sub-catalog. The rules act as filters for the data and each time a different set of rules are applied to the original data a different catalog is created. Capabilities available within a catalog, the types of displays presented, and other customer “entitlements” are based on the rules that are used to create the catalog. Subsequent descendant catalogs can also be derived from a sub-catalog. Thus, many sub-catalogs, that ultimately derive from the same-base catalog, can be created and managed by a single entity using a rules based management system. This system streamlines management of the catalogs and allows the entity to maintain administrative control over a wide variety of electronic catalogs.
In traditional electronic catalogs, a customer gains access to the catalog through a log-in process wherein customer provided information is used to verify the authenticity of the customer. The customer is identified during this log-in process and the rules associated with the customer are retrieved and applied to the data to create the customer's catalog. As used herein “customer” is given a very broad definition and, besides its traditional meaning, “customer” is meant to include retailers, wholesalers, marketers, developers, manufactures and distributors. Thus a seller of computers can be a “customer” when using an electronic catalog. For example, a customer (retailer or distributor) that deals in desktop computers may have his catalog limited to products and services related to desktop computers. A problem with traditional catalog systems however, is that if the customer subsequently increases the scope of his business and becomes interested in laptop computers, he would have to go through a manually intensive process of requesting increased inclusion of products for his catalog. This traditional rule change process can take long periods of time as the request must be manually forwarded, usually more than once, until it reaches the person with the authority to approve the requested rule change. The rules, in most cases, are set by more than one individual and, in large management entities, these individuals are usually not in the same geographic location. Lengthy manual processes such as this traditional rule change procedure are prone to errors and many times result in lost sales due to customer frustration. The present invention solves this problem.
Rules and data associated with electronic catalogs are usually stored on special computers known as servers and accessed via a network. Small networks called local area networks, or LAN's, and are traditionally used to connect computers within a single building or complex. Metropolitan area networks, or MAN's, refer to networks that connect computers throughout a city. Wide area networks, or WAN's, connect geographical areas larger than a city. The Internet, which is a worldwide network, can be considered the ultimate WAN. The hardware and software used to set up and run a network is referred to as the network's infrastructure. The Internet is an association of computer networks with common standards, which enable information to be sent from any host on one network to any host on another network. Originally developed in the 1970's to support military research, it has since grown and expanded to support commercial, educational, and other users. The World Wide Web is an Internet facility designed for multimedia use, in which individuals or organizations make available ‘pages’ of information to other users anywhere in the world. Access to these pages can be at no cost or, in the case of certain commercial operations, a fee can be required before access is granted. The Internet uses a client-server architecture to control the sending and receiving of information. In a client-server architecture, one computer (the server) has a supply of information and another computer (the client) requests some of the information. The request is forwarded form network to network until it reaches the network on which the server resides. The server then processes the request and responds by sending the requested information back to the client. During their travels across the Internet, requests and responses will likely encounter one or more gateways and routers. Gateways are located between computer networks and enable a network operating according to one protocol to pass messages to a second network working to a different protocol. Routers are devices that push traffic through a packet-switched network. As used herein, requests, responses, messages, traffic and packets each refer to digital information traveling over a network. In the Internet, routers are used to determine the best possible route for packets to reach their destination and forward the packets along that route.
The Internet provides many services to its users. E-mail is probably the most popular service. E-mail can be a simple text message that is typed at the user's keyboard, which is then sent to another user on the network. In the same way that a letter must be addressed correctly to reach its destination, an e-mail message must also specify the address of the person it is being sent to. The biggest advantage of using e-mail is that it reaches its destination much faster than traditional mail, usually in a matter of a few seconds. File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is known for easy downloading of public domain software and shareware programs. Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) are an electronic version of traditional bulletin boards found in public areas. Bulletin boards originated to provide users who have similar interests with a method of keeping in touch and sharing information. A BBS user “posts” messages or files about all kinds of subjects, and anyone who can access the BBS can view and respond to the messages.
Instant Messaging (IM) is a text messaging method of communication wherein messages are exchanged, usually within a dedicated window, in real time or near real time. As long as both parties are on-line, the parties can exchange text messages in a manner similar to a regular voiced conversation. When a person sends an instant message it causes a dialog window to open, or pop-up, on the recipient's screen. Some IM applications that are included in a network's infrastructure provide for this pop-up window function even when the IM program is not actively running on the recipient's computer. As with e-mail, IM messages can be accompanied by a “beep” or other sound to alert the recipient to the message.
Text messages can also be transmitted from a computer network to a digital telephone network and subsequently forwarded to a text messaging device. Text messaging devices include specialized beepers and cellular telephones. These devices include a keyboard for typing and a screen for displaying the text messages. In the case of cellular telephones, if a dedicated keyboard is not provided, the numeric keypad can be used to type out the text of a message. Digital communication systems also provide for computer generated voice messages and digital voice recordings to be sent from a computer network to a telephone network. These messages and recordings may be initiated by a computer on the Internet but terminate as a telephone call to a cellular telephone or even a traditional landline telephone.